Arikara War

The Arikara War (1823) was a war fought between the United States and the Arikara Native American tribe of South Dakota, fought over the pelt trade along the Missouri River. The war, the first Indian war fought beyond the Missouri River, saw the USA and its Sioux allies skirmish with the hostile Arikara tribe. On 2 June 1823, the Arikara killed 15 trappers belonging to William Henry Ashley's Rocky Mountain Fur Company on the Missouri River, leading to 230 US troops, 750 Sioux warriors, and 50 armed trappers under Henry Leavenworth being sent to assault the Arikara villages. The Americans failed to overcome the Arikara, and their Sioux allies decided to withdraw their forces after witnessing these failures. On 15 August 1823, the US force returned to Fort Atkinson. A total of 15 Americans and over 10 natives were killed in the short war.